NURSING 102

I’m back at it again with the introduction of my 7 lbs 2 oz daughter JuJu. I nursed my son for 6 months straight and with that, I thought I had acquired enough knowledge to take on nursing once again. My daughter is only 14 days old and I’m trying to get the hang of things my second go around. What I’ve uncovered so far is that each experience is different and with that, I needed a little help from my Mommy friends.

Nursing is important to me because of its many benefits, aside from saving TONS of money on formula. Breastfeeding is said to provide infants with antibodies that reduce illness. Brown University studies also found that nursing displayed improved brain development. As I am trying to create a mini female version of Bill Gates I decided to give breastfeeding another chance. 
 
Now I’m going, to be honest. Breastfeeding is hard! Between the pain and time-consuming practice, it is easy to get discouraged. I came up with some tips to help make breastfeeding a little more manageable. I’m not a lactation specialist. I’m just a mom who asked other moms for advice and I write about my personal successes.
 
My milk supply came in within the average 3 to 5 days however, I was only pumping about 2-3 oz every 3 hours. After talking to another mother, she suggested I try Oatmeal Cookies. Within a matter of hours, I noticed I was able to pump anywhere from 3oz to 4oz per breast. I found a wonderful and delicious recipe online.

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP LACTATION COOKIES BY NOEL TRUJILLO

READY IN: 27mins
SERVES: 54

INGREDIENTS
·       1 cup  butter
·       1 cup  sugar
·       1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
·       4 tablespoons  water
·       2 tablespoons  flax seed meal
·       2 eggs
·       1 teaspoon  vanilla
·       3 cups  flour
·       1 teaspoon  baking soda
·       1 teaspoon  salt­
·       3 cups  oats
·       1 cup  chocolate chips
·       2 -4 tablespoons  brewer's yeast

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let sit for 3-5 minutes.
3. Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar well.
4. Add eggs and mix well.
5. Add flaxseed mix and vanilla, beat well.
6. Sift together flour, brewers yeast, baking soda, and salt.
7. Add dry ingredients to butter mix.
8. Stir in oats and chips.
9. Scoop onto baking sheet.
10. Bake for 12 minutes.
11. Let set for a couple minutes then remove from tray.

Continuing with milk supply, my doctor informed me that it is important to stay hydrated with lots of fluids. Although it isn’t proven that an increase in fluids helps milk supply, keep in mind that breast milk is about 87% water. I find drinking water all around helps with my energy.
 
Keep your baby close! I noticed my breast will start to produce milk and even leek as soon as I pick either one of my children up. Pumping shorty after ensures a personal higher milk production rate.
 
Please feel free to comment with any additional tips you might have to help breastfeeding mothers.